Matthew's Blog
How Does The Earth See You?
I heard an interesting question raised by the Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue: How does the Earth see you? You see, we (humans) spend all of our time asking questions about the various ways in which the planet can provide for us. It's all about how we see...
The “Winner-Take-All” Mentality of Twitter
Consider this quote (italics mine) by the writer Roy Peter Clark: In a debate, one side listens only to find a counterargument. In a conversation, there is give and take. A debate ends with a winner and a loser. A conversation can conclude with both sides learning,...
Thanks to AI, I Discovered I Am 34 Years Old Again!
Several years ago I was able to use IBM’s Watson Personality Insights to analyze my personality based on how I use Twitter (see IBM’s Watson Artificial Intelligence Analysis of My Personality). It contained both positives (You are philosophical: you are open to and...
May’s Best Blog Post?
May was a good month for me: Thirty-one posts on a variety of subjects, ranging from infinite games, Sun Tzu, and Chaucer to wicked problems, Covid battlefield topology, and healthcare data ownership. But the my best post in my judgement? (Or, at least my most...
Writers: Beware The Watcher!
Limit self-criticism in early drafts. This is the title chapter of Roy Peter Clark’s 48th tool, from his book on craftsmanship, Writing Tools, 55 Essential Strategies For Every Writer, and it was where I was introduced to an exceptional essay by Gail Godwin about...
If You Have Vigorous Health, Then Do The Vigorous Things
Here's a photo of myself from about 12 years ago, when I had what I call (at least for myself) vigorous health. The mountain in the background is called Mailbox Peak. It's about 30 minutes east of downtown Seattle, and, because it’s 4000 feet of “straight up,” without...
Health Insurance ≠ Healthcare
Here’s my health insurance company’s stated purpose: Improving customers' lives by making healthcare work better. They are a good company, and for the most part, I have received good service. But two points. First, from their perspective, I am a customer, not a...
Euexia, Normality, And The Definition Of Health
This week, my wife went to a bookstore, and, knowing my fascination with Ancient Greece she bought the book The Ancient Greeks by M.I. Finley (pictured above). This book reminded me of one of the terms the Ancient Greeks used for health—euexia—one which roughly...
The Best Healthcare CEO Question Ever?
At a recent physician-centric healthcare conference, a CEO, who is also a physician, asked the audience how would they spend one million dollars to help improve physician satisfaction and retention. My answer was quite simple: create an “ikigai fund, ” one which...